Ottawa County’s former board chair Joe Moss issued a stark warning last winter to commissioners: Settle a staff privacy complaint immediately or face a civil lawsuit. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/recordings-m...

Latest podcast dropped! open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

Check out the latest "Two J's in a Pod." open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

Check out our latest podcast where we run through the latest Ottawa County Board of Commissioners meeting (Hint: It was a doozie). Two J's in a Pod: S1E32 (Sept. 24, 2025) open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

The Detroit Lions embark on a season that they hope will end in the Super Bowl with a game Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

WOW. @marcelias.bsky.social goes off on the failures of legacy media: "We have an absolute collapse and failure by the institutions that have promised us that democracy would not die in darkness, that in fact, they stand for the proposition that democracy will die in plain sight of daylight."

“We are standing here today to stand up to the Trump Administration to tell them, ‘Get this coal plant shut down.'” That was the message that lawmakers, health professionals and others said at a press conference near West Michigan’s J.H. Campbell coal plant. Story from @onnleach.bsky.social

How is Dermot Mulroney NOT playing Sam Waterston in his biopic? #AFAF

Just learned from LinkedIn that a Heritage Foundation affiliate is now FOIA-ing (or equivalent) instructors’ syllabi to go snooping for supposed illegal DEI at state universities. It’s hard to describe how far past McCarthyism we’re headed here.

POLITICO compiled a list of all the Washington Post staffers who have left in the past eight months. It’s at least a hundred names, many of them among the biggest names in journalism. This is the fastest erosion of a major outlet ever.

The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is tackling some of the biggest priorities identified by candidates and voters during last year's campaign cycle, namely finding its next administrator and changing the county's motto. ottawanewsnetwork.org/ottawa-board...

What could possibly go wrong? www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

Patrick Lyoya's family speaks out about mistrial against former Grand Rapids cop Attorneys said first hearing in civil suit against Christopher Schurr is scheduled for June 17. A mistrial was declared earlier this month against Schurr. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Get the latest on Ottawa County government and the musings of 2 West Michigan journos .... sentinelleach.substack.com/p/two-js-in-...

The long-planned closing of the coal-fired J.H. Campbell plant in Port Sheldon Twp. will be delayed at least 90 days after Trump Administration officials issued an emergency order directing Consumers Energy to remain “available for operation” for peak summer demand. Story from @onnleach.bsky.social

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued the emergency order on Friday, May 23 — just eight days before the plant was scheduled to shut down, a plan that has been in place since 2021. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/imminent-clo...

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced Thursday that an ex-Grand Rapids police officer who fatally shot a Black motorist following a 2022 traffic stop will not face a retrial after a first proceeding ended in a mistrial earlier this month. Story from @onnleach.bsky.social

Local, state and national officials are warning that unless Michigan environmental officials can fast-track PFAS regulations to allow for harbor dredging this year, it could end up costing Ottawa County residents millions. Story from @onnleach.bsky.social

The "Two J's in a Pod" podcast has made the leap to the You-yTubes! Come listen to this week's new episode and catch up on previous episodes as Mary Ellen Murphy and I sound off on Ottawa County issues and more. :) youtu.be/l1QRFMW4vMI

Me explaining county government. x.com/buitengebied...

Proud of this piece. It was the first major article I did post-Gannett and boy, was it a whopper. 🥰 #journalismmatters

Michigan Court of Appeals denies resentencing appeal by Oxford High shooter www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

A Kent County jury has resumed deliberating a second-degree murder charge against a former Grand Rapids police officer accused of fatally shooting a Black motorist in 2022. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

What’s up with the leaf blowers at 8 in the goddamn morning on a Saturday, America

Former cop who shot Black motorist in Grand Rapids believed he had no choice Christopher Schurr, who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya, testified in his own defense Friday. He said believed without shooting, "I wasn’t gonna go home." www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Day 4 wrap-up: Defense attorneys for Christopher Schurr, who is on trial for fatally shooting Patrick Lyoya, put two current captains on the stand, along with an expert. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Not to be insensitive, but this is an interesting case, legally speaking. Christopher Schurr is on trial for second-degree murder for the death of Patrick Lyoya after a traffic stop in 2022. Two use-of-force experts testified. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Dear followers, I can’t believe today marks one year to the day of my career changing in such an unexpected way. Here's my update: substack.com/@sentinellea...

Opening statements for the former Grand Rapids police officer who killed Patrick Lyoya by shooting him in the back of the head in April 2022 began Monday with large group of supporters gathered in front of the court for Christopher Schurr. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

Thank you for having me on, Shelley! The Ottawa News Network looks to build a nonprofit newsroom for the people of Ottawa County www.wgvunews.org/the-shelley-...

Been mulling over a new project. I feel like I have a book in me, but I don't know what people would want me to write about. If you follow me, what are the topics you would most want to see covered?

From weather to politics, we cover it all on Two J's in a Pod! sentinelleach.substack.com/p/two-js-in-...

Two J's in a Pod (S1E10: March 26, 2025) Clouds, letters and jumping the shark, oh my. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Two weeks after GVSU hosted a speaker who de-transitioned, journalists from student newspaper The Lanthorn, teamed up with @ottawanewsnetwork.bsky.social to write about county commissioner Joe Moss, who brought a concealed firearm on campus during the event. www.wzzm13.com/article/news...

I'll be covering tomorrow's townhall in Grand Haven for @ottawanewsnetwork.bsky.social! Democratic U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten held a townhall Thursday in Grand Rapids to hear from constituents about concerns amid massive cuts and layoffs. www.detroitnews.com/story/news/p...

Sigh.

Snore. deadline.com/2025/03/texa...

Two J's in a Pod (S1E9: March 19, 2025) Politics big and small dominate the gossip of Ottawa County this week.... open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

Two J's in a Pod (Episode 8: March 12, 2025): The latest installment of the Grand Haven Public Schools drama had Sarah relating to an unlikely group. open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

Is the traditional political playbook of town halls and speeches still relevant? We tackle that and more on Two J's in a Pod (Episode 7: March 6, 2025) open.substack.com/pub/sentinel...

In episode 6, journalists Mary Ellen Murphy from WGHN and Sarah Leach from Ottawa News Network give a recap of this week’s happenings in Ottawa County (their producer, Dirk Wierenga, says hi, too.) sentinelleach.substack.com/p/two-js-in-...

Thank you so much for the support!

👀 The Ottawa County Republican Party is distancing itself from a county precinct delegate who admits he recently posted support for Adolf Hitler online and denied the Holocaust. www.fox17online.com/news/local-n...

Ottawa County tackled a slew of big topics Tuesday as the divide deepened between the moderate Republican majority on the board of commissioners with the minority far-right Ottawa Impact faction. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/county-to-as...

From a change in legal counsel, revisiting a controversial lake remediation contract and trying to delay the closure of a coal-fired power plant, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners is poised to make several big decisions at its next meeting Tuesday. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/lawyer-swap-...

Although Ottawa County is not interested in getting into the public utility business, concerns continue to mount about the stability of the energy grid. www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/county-poise...